Queen Elizabeth’s Stationery Marks a Break From Royal Tradition

The royal family is currently in a two week period of mourning, following Prince Philip’s death. During this time, Queen Elizabeth is breaking with one traditional mourning ritual, practiced by family members and royals before her.

According to People, the Queen will not use the customary black-edged stationery during the official mourning period. Instead, she will use personalized stationery featuring her crest in black, rather than red. The publication speculates that this modern take on the ritual is in honor of the late Prince Philip, who also took a less traditional route with some aspects of his funeral preparations. Notably, his coffin was transported on a custom Land Rover and there were no eulogies at Saturday’s services.

In contrast to the Queen, Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are using the standard black-edged stationary during the mourning period. The tradition has existed since the 19th century, when after the death of Prince Albert in 1861, Queen Victoria corresponded on stationery with a black border, referencing her state of mourning.

Queen Elizabeth, however, did use the black-edged stationery for one final note to Prince Philip. The Queen placed this handwritten letter on the late Duke of Edinburgh’s coffin, and it was visible throughout the memorial ceremonies. While funeral guests could not see the entirety of the letter’s contents, we do know one sweet detail—the monarch signed the note “Lilibet,” her childhood nickname.

The Queen’s mourning period will continue even tomorrow—the monarch’s 95th birthday. The day’s celebrations will certainly differ from other years, due to both her husband’s death and the ongoing pandemic. However, we may still see the royals come together and send well-wishes to their matriarch.